Brooklyn New York street renamed after black Orthodox Jew who was murdered protecting his girlfriend

By Mason White 11:33 AM August 19, 2013

Yoseph Robinson Avenue sign

By: Debbie Gross
(Scroll down for video) A street in Brooklyn, New York, has received a new name, city officials have announced.

The city renamed an intersection in Brooklyn in honor of an Orthodox Jewish man, who was killed trying to protect his girlfriend during a botched robbery of a kosher liquor store.

Ave J and Nostrand Avenue in Midwood is now “Yoseph Robinson Avenue” in honor of the 34-year-old employee who was shot dead in August 2010 inside MB Vineyards, located a few feet from the intersection.

As we reported earlier, a street in Brooklyn, New York was recently named after a murdered Hasidic Jew.
New York City changed the name of an intersection in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York, for a Hasidic Jew, who died trying to protect his girlfriend during a botched robbery of a kosher liquor store.

Avenue J and Nostrand Avenue will soon have a sign saying “Yoseph Robinson Avenue” to honor Robinson, a 34-year-old employee at MB Vineyards. He was shot to death in August 2010.

A masked man held up Robinson and his girlfriend Lahavah Wallace, demanding that she hand over her jewelry. The robber shot Robinson in the chest when he tried to grab the suspect’s gun away.

Wallace spent months working with Councilman Jumaane Williams, Democrat, Midwood, to honor the memory of her boyfriend with a street sign in the city.

“This will allow those who did not know him to ask who he was,” Wallace said.
Robinson, a Jamaican who converted to Orthodox Judaism, maintained close ties to both cultures.

“Maybe we can still be the bridge for communities in some way. It’s a fitting tribute and honor to an amazing man,” Wallace said.
Eion Klass, 35, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing Robinson.